Award Winning "Non-Flow-Through" Fuel Cell Exceeds 1,300 Hours in Endurance Testing
NASA is developing and testing new and innovative technologies that will enable the future of safe and efficient human exploration.
Description: A 100-watt "non-flow-through" fuel cell is being tested to evaluate its long-term performance and possible degradation mechanisms. This new technology passively wicks product water away, enabling the fuel cell stack to operate without reactant recirculation. Standard fuel cell stacks require continuous, active fluid transport to remove this water.
Time Frame: This endurance test began in April, 2011 and is slated to continue for 5,000 hours.
Space Application: Without the need to recirculate reactants, the number of ancillary components comprising the fuel cell balance-of-plant is significantly reduced, eliminating the primary causes of system failures. These innovations - improving system reliability, power density and efficiency - can reduce fuel cell system mass by hundreds of kilograms, providing a reliable means to generate electricity for long-duration exploration missions with significantly lower mass and smaller volume.
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